


Language of Flowers

by Ramblesgalore



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: F/M, Giving Flowers, Just had this pop up in my head, Thought it’d be a neat idea I guess, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-17
Updated: 2019-03-17
Packaged: 2019-11-19 16:20:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18138074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ramblesgalore/pseuds/Ramblesgalore
Summary: A set of symbolic meanings attached to different flowers, herbs, or other fauna when they are given or arranged.





	Language of Flowers

It all started with a single carnation on Grell’s desk. It was a rather beautiful flower, recently bloomed with a vibrant red on each petal. Grell picked it up and admired the flower, searching for a note or anything to indicate who gave her the flower. She was unable to find any note, shrugging as she grabbed a jar from nearby, running to get some water and then placing the single flower inside the jar. She couldn’t help but be curious as to who would leave her a single flower on her desk. She was completely unaware of any admirers she could possibly have at the association, especially since there were no new recruits. She shrugged it off as some sort of sign of workplace compassion, toying with a loose strand of hair before running off to try and complete her quota.

The week after what Grell had named “The Flower Incident,” another plant was on her desk. She couldn’t recognize the plant at first, only seeing the reddish-green leaves as a characteristic. She grabbed the plant and marched over to William’s office, hoping to receive any sort of information about what the plant was. William’s cold, disinterested eyes glanced up to meet Grell’s confused ones as she set the plant on William’s desk. “Will, you have to help me! Someone left another plant in my room for no reason! Is it some sort of threat or what-“ 

“It’s a fern plant, a symbol for bonds of love and sincerity.”

Grell stopped her rambling after hearing Willam’s voice, low and bored in his response. “B-bonds of- love?” William nodded and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, handing the fern back to Grell. “Good day to you, Sutcliff. And do try to get your paperwork in on time for once, I’m so utterly tired of overtime.” Grell mumbled a thank you and left Will’s office, sulking back to her own and closing the door gently. She stayed silent for a brief spell before letting out a sharp squeal, placing the fern in alongside her carnation from the previous week. “Bonds of love?! My my, someone here _does_ have a crush on me! It won’t be long, my darling. I’ll find you out soon enough!!” She giggled and spun around before reaching to grab the door handle, but suddenly froze. William’s words from earlier stuck out in particular, a swell of guilt rising in Grell’s chest. She let go of the handle and sat down at her desk, grabbing the paperwork from that day and previous days and getting to work.

Each week, Grell received a new flower or plant from her admirer, unable to catch them in the act of leaving her their gift. Her frustration was becoming clear to almost everyone, a low growl coming from her when she couldn’t make out the meaning or clue from the flower. Each time she failed to understand what the fauna meant, she ran straight into William’s office with the plant in question. William always told her what the plant was and what it meant, keeping their meetings short by throwing her out almost immediately after. She used the back of her records book to mark down what Will had told her about each herb or flower she brought in:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
**Carnation- Heartache, love for a woman  
** Fern- Hopes of love, sincerity  
Holly- Hope  
White Hyacinth- Loveliness, rashness  
Lavender- Devotion  
Arborvitae- Unchanging friendship  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
The last flower in particular stood out to Grell, a breakthrough in the case she had built up. Not many people in the office considered Grell a friend of theirs, they barely tolerated the redhead most days. The list was still, however, too long for Grell to clearly make her accusation from. She sighed in defeat and placed the flower in the jar, smiling at the arrangement left for her. The flower gifts she had been receiving had affected her work attitude as well, leading her to finish her paperwork on time and fulfill her quotas. She shook her head with a smile at the thought, slowly leaving her office to go with Ronald on a soul collection. She hoped, desperately, that her love would eventually find the courage to see her in person.

Grell ran towards William’s office, overdue paperwork in her arms that she had found in her apartment. She considered stopping by her office to collect her flower, but decided it would be able to wait. “Will!! I finally found that paperwork from-“ Grell lost her words when she pushed the doors open, seeing a startled William throwing his arms behind his back. The brunette’s calm appearance was slightly cracked, Grell seeing in his eyes a sliver of- nervousness? She walked closer and closed the door behind her, William moving one arm from his back to push up his glasses. “Yes, Grell? What is it now?” Grell felt a spike of confusion go through her, eyes still fixed on William’s other arm. “I have heard you call me a number of names, William, but never- my first name.” William’s entire body froze at the statement, the arm behind his back twitching slightly. “I- decided it would be alright to, sometimes, call you Grell rather than-“ Grell felt a cheshire grin spread across her face, setting down her paperwork as she stepped closer. “Darling, I would believe you more if you told me you were going to take overtime willingly. What have you got hiding there that’s so important, hm? Does it have to do with your sudden mood shift?” William looked utterly lost in that single moment, opening his mouth to speak when Grell lunged forward quickly, grabbing the wrist behind his back to see.

“ _Oh…_ ” A red rose was in William’s hand, freshly picked and nearly free of the thorns that decorated the stem. Grell let go of the wrist gently, mind swimming with muddled thoughts. William’s voice broke the gentle silence that came up, shaking and different from his usual tone. “I- This is simply a-“ Everything finally clicked together in Grell’s mind, like the final pieces of a puzzle settling together. The specific nature of the flowers, how William was the only one to know their meaning… “You were the one leaving me all those flowers. Every single week, right on time, you were the one who left them.” William nodded his head, one of his hands clenched into a fist to try and ease the consistent shaking. Grell glanced once more at the red rose in William’s hand before looking back up at him. “Grell, I’m-“ William was cut off by Grell’s lips against his, dropping the rose to the ground in shock. Grell’s eyes were carefully looking up at William’s, trying to gauge the other’s reaction. Slowly, Will’s shock ebbed and he let his eyes close gently, moving his hands to Grell’s hips. Grell let a grin out as she kept her lips on Will’s, only parting when the two of them needed air. Grell bent over and picked up the red rose, slipping it into the pocket of Will’s suit. “I must say darling, you look nice with a splash of red on you.” Will let a small smile slip out, adjusting the rose slightly before pushing his glasses back up again, shifted from the sudden kiss. “I would be willing to wear something outside of protocol if you would come to my place at precisely six o’clock tomorrow, Grell.” Grell couldn’t help the purr of delight that rose from her throat. “It’s a date, Willy. And I really do hope you’ll teach me about those flowers of yours soon.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! I’m always accepting requests, so if you’d like a fic or certain pairing, send them here or on Tumblr at Waves-Flowing-Like-Time!!!


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